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Pilot pitcher has all he needs

UP's Tommy Renda makes it work with one weak arm

As players and coaches lined up for the post-game hand-slap ritual after Oregon State's 10-1 victory over the University of Portland on Tuesday at Etzel Field, OSU coach Pat Casey greeted Pilot pitcher Tommy Renda with a handshake, a pen and a baseball.

'First time all year I've asked for an autograph,' Casey says, and it wasn't because Renda had thrown a scoreless ninth inning.

The redshirt freshman from Hillsborough, Calif., is a left-hander by necessity. He has limited use of his right arm, which was weakened at birth by cerebral palsy.

So Renda, employing a right-hander's glove, has developed a routine for fielding reminiscent of the one used by lefty Jim Abbott, who enjoyed a long, successful major league career despite a deformed right arm.

Soon after Renda releases a pitch, he removes the glove from his right hand, cradles it against his chest and transfers it to his left hand. On Tuesday, he had a one-hopper hit to him. He knocked it down and threw the batter out at first with time to spare.

'When I was in high school, I did a lot of volunteer work with disabled children. My message was, 'There's nothing you can't do. If you want something bad enough, there's no stopping you.' '

It's the same message Abbott delivered in person to Renda about 10 years ago at a big league game in Oakland. A family friend arranged an on-field meeting between the two before the game.

'He'd been a hero of mine ever since I started playing baseball,' Renda says. 'We played catch. He showed me how he (fielded); I showed him how I did it.'

After Renda graduated from high school and announced he was headed to UP, Abbott sent him an autographed jersey and photo with a note of congratulations.

'What an awesome guy,' Renda says.

Renda's high school career was hampered by a left shoulder injury that required surgery in July 2005.

'I made a call to his high school coach,' Portland coach Chris Sperry says. 'He said, 'I don't know if he's ready right now, but at some point he's going to be a guy who can come in and get a left-hander out, pitch an inning here or there. He may end up OK.' '

After a redshirt season in 2006, the 5-10, 190-pound Renda has pitched only twice this spring, working two shutout innings. The shoulder isn't yet 100 percent healthy, and the velocity isn't high, so he has developed a changeup as an out pitch.

Renda has earned the respect of his teammates, who call him 'Too-Tough' Renda.

'He's that kind of guy,' says catcher Paul Crowder, Renda's roommate. 'He gets after it. Nothing can hold him back. He was born with a disability, but he never makes excuses. He says it has made him a better person. Hey, he's playing college baseball.'

Which is all Renda ever wanted.

'My ultimate goal was to play college baseball, to compete at the D-I level,' he says. 'I'm there.'